Auf Wiedersehen

To my father's request here is my final post.

Studying abroad should be a priority, requirement, mandatory for every student. Those six weeks abroad could have easily been the best six weeks of my life. The experience has definitely made my top three. And if you ever have a chance to go to Innsbruck, Austria... take it! It's the most wonderful city in the world. My plan was to find an Austrian and get married so we could have a second home in Innsbruck. That didn't really happen but one day I will return to Austria to enjoy Amorino gelato while walking through old town, enjoying a streamliner sandwich along the river, going to Igls to hike through the Alps, drinking at Hof Garten for their 6 beers for 10 euro special and getting caught in a random thunderstorm.

For anyone studying abroad, this is my advice:

It is ILLEGAL for you to count calories while studying abroad. Eat everything and anything. Try the local drink, example hugos. A sleep sack can become your best friend. Stores close on Sundays. Trains can get very confusing, you will have to run after a train at one point. Pack lightly, you should use a small back pack for weekend trips. Don't bring wedges, cause you won't wear them. Stay in at least one real hostel. Buy a post card from every city. Go to as many cities and countries as possible. Eat at random restaurants. Get lost in Venice. Enjoy a cappuccino in St. Mark's Square. Be in a flash mob. Indulge in a nutella waffle. Basically eat as much Nutella as possible. See a firework show. Make friends with strangers. Try to NOT take a taxi.Prague has amazing food, eat at a restaurant called lokal. Pub crawls can be really fun. Five story discos are even more fun. Don't go to the amusement park in Vienna late at night unless you want to run into hookers. A bottle of wine makes overnight train rides easier. Mike's bike tours will never disappoint you. Always order dutch pancakes. Go to Interlaken specifically to go canyoning. Eat as much gelato as possible. Never say no to apricot filled croissants. Make a Europe playlist before you leave. Take pictures of everything. It is best to have boys travel with you, they voluntarily read maps. ALWAYS make a train reservation. If you ever find Nougat gelato... EAT IT.

The rule of thumb is that you can only say if you have been to a city if you have had a meal there. None of this "Ya, I have been to Texas. I stopped at the Dallas airport once." That doesn't count. So using the rule, I went to six countries and ten cities. I'd say that is pretty good.

During my six week trip I was able to try a lot of new things. Which I think is the whole purpose of studying abroad is to experience new things and do things you never would have dreamed of. Here are some examples...
Hiking on a glacier, eating bass, repelling down canyons, sleeping in a hostel dorm room, absinth shots and turning strangers into great friends.

My adventure is now over but not forgotten. I am so grateful for my experience, it was the greatest but I am ready to get back to reality. The next adventure is returning to the ZTA house in Washington for my second year and trying to come out alive. It is going to be a very studious and fabulous year. So cheers!

Canyoning, Fondue and Bath Houses.

I am sad to say that my last traveling weekend is over. We only have two days (one and a half since I'm sitting in class now) left and two days for finals and then we head back to the states. It will be sad to leave Innsbruck but I know I will come back one day. 

Anyways, my trip to Switzerland was very different compared to all my other weekends. My plan was to go to Interlaken then to Cinque Terra but I didn't want to leave my roommate alone in Switzerland so I stayed with her and went to Zurich. In Interlaken there were others there, the girls that I went to Amsterdam with. It took us about six hours to get to Interlaken and when we got there it was thunder storming. So Michelle, my roommate, and I got into a cab and went to our hotel. We get to our hotel, which is not even in Interlaken, and realize its more of a bed and breakfast place. Our hotel was 113 years old and looked like it. We were also up in the mountains in a small town that had literally nothing there. We walked around for 20 minutes in search of a restaurant. We ended up at another hotel for dinner. It was there that we changed our hotel arrangements but also ate some really good Swiss food. I had a vegetarian Rosti, it is basically a thick potato pancake with veggies. It was delicious. Father, feel free to make me some of this when I get home. 

Vegetable Rosti

Since we had no idea where we were and didn't want to take a 30CHF cab ride to Interlaken to go out we just went back to the hotel and went to bed. The next morning we woke up and canceled our second night. Then Outdoor Interlaken came and picked us up. I HIGHLY recommend going canyoning, especially if you are in Switzerland. It was literally one of the funnest things I have ever done. You jump off cliffs, repel down rocks, slide through canyons, and much more. Of course you are in wet suit, water shoes, a life vest and helmet so you won't die but it was so fun! They have guides that take you down this canyon and tell you where to jump and help you survive. Don't worry I got the video of me canyoning so y'all can all see me doing front flips and superman jumps through Swiss canyons. 

I am third from the right

 After canyoning we met back up with the other girls at Outdoor Interlaken to shower and enjoy our free beer and then went next door to a Thai restaurant. It was pretty good, best chicken skewers I think I have ever had. When we finished lunch the girls had to leave to catch their train to Cinque Terra so Michelle and I decided to go find our new hotel. We switched to Hotel Interlaken which is a really nice hotel, especially compared to our first hotel. 

We dropped off our stuff and walked around the town. There isn't much in Interlaken, extreme sports is kinda the only thing they have going on. So we got some chocolate and looked at watches. Let me just say how surprised I was at all the Asians in Interlaken. There are plenty of Asian tourist in Innsbruck and it gets annoying but her there we so many of them! There were even a lot of Asians that live and work in Interlaken... I never would have thought that Interlaken would be so Asian friendly. I guess it is a neutral country. After aimlessly walking we stopped at a restaurant called Des Alpes for some chocolate fondue. Best fondue ever. By the time we got back it was about 6pm so we decided to just lay around until dinner.

how I met your mother in German

Around 8pm we went downstairs to the Italian restaurant for dinner. Then headed back to the streets in search for nightlife or a bar. After a big lap around Interlaken we found one bar but it was filled with middle aged men so we decided to save our money and call it an early night. 

The next morning we woke up and had breakfast in our hotel. I will definitely miss croissants and Nutella back in the States. I suggest croissants for breakfast at the sorority house. My favorite combo is to put nutella and strawberry jam on my croissant, it's excellent. Or I get a roll with brie and jam. After breakfast we checked out and caught a train to Zurich.

In Zurich we went straight to from the train station to our hotel then to a bathhouse/spa that Michelle found. That was definitely an experience. Don't worry you had to wear bathing suits. Before your massage you do a Irish bath ritual. There were like 10 different stations of steam rooms, showers, napping areas and baths. Because my appointment was at a different time then Michelle we got split up when we got there. Being at a bathhouse by yourself is probably one of the loneliest things ever. And you are surrounded by european couples everywhere that don't have an issue with PDA. It was cool but not something I would have chosen for my only day in Zurich. The rooftop pool was really cool though! Not many people can say they went swimming on a rooftop pool in Zurich!

I was there for five hours. I was on the verge of transforming into a prune by the time I left. For dinner we took the tram into the city center where we sat down at the first restaurant we saw. It was really good. I had some amazing pesto spaghetti. 

 When we were done with dinner we walked around the city center. They had amazing stores there that I wish I could have shopped at but of course everything is closed on Sundays. As we were walking around we came across a pastry shop and I saw this in the window and thought of you Kate! You should use this one on your wedding cake!

 The next morning I got my first Swiss Starbucks then got on the train back to Innsbruck!

It is almost midnight here. Classes are finally done! But we have finals starting tomorrow, which I haven't started studying for. whoops so I better go to that but my bed is so inviting. Especially since my roommate is already asleep so the light is off. This is going to make studying very difficult. I might as well go to bed now and wake up early to study right? My test isn't until 1:30pm. I cannot believe I come home Friday. These six weeks just flew by. I feel terrible saying it but I am kinda ready to get home, mainly cause I am just dying to go back to school! Is school/sorority sick a real thing? If so, I have it. I'm counting down the seconds until I move back into the house. 

Ok I have been procrastinating enough now! Goodnight!

to my sister Lauren...

HAPPY AUGUST!

Crystals, Tunnels and Gasthauses

So while I'm not tromping around Europe I am actually doing activities around Innsbruck. Yesterday I went to the Swarovski headquarters. We got a private tour of the Marie Swarovski house and went into the crystal cave. It was definitely one of the coolest things I have done in Innsbruck. I bought some things for some very special grandmothers of mine!

interesting exhibits

crystal dome = best place to take selfless

i felt like i was in the movie Avatar

For one of our geology field trips they took us to the construction of the longest tunnel in the world. It's going to go from Germany to the Southern tip of Italy. Honestly, it seems like a lot of unnecessary work and time but they think it's a good idea. 

 We basically just walked around in mud for a while and that was it.

The other day me and a couple other girls decide to go on a hike to this restaurant. The restaurant is a Gasthaus, which means it is a traditional Austria restaurant. We had heard about other people doing it so we decided to go also. The path literally begins right behind out dorm, which is really nice. It took us awhile to get there just because we got a little lost but then found it and it was beautiful! But of course when we actually got to the restaurant we found out it was closed. It was still gorgeous up there and I am for sure going to try to go back before I leave

if I ever move to Innsbruck, this is where I will live

literally a 10 minute walk to here from my dorm

the Gasthaus

view from the restaurant

Father, I saw this and though of you so I figured I would include it in my blog!

So I finally decided that I am going to Switzerland this weekend, Interlaken and Zurich to be exact. While I am in Interlaken I will be going canyoning. Here is a small glimpse of what that means...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZ_4IJbw3G4&feature=player_embedded#!

(Grandparents, click on the link above and a new window will open on your screen. You don't have to touch anything the video will start playing when it is done loading.) I don't think anyone has been injured from this, but we will find out on Friday! Don't worry I am paying someone to follow me with a video camera!

Oh exciting news, today I am going on the Sound of Music tour in Salzburg! Cannot wait to do it again! I am hoping our tour guide from 10 years ago, Reinhart, still works there but I highly doubt it. I have the movie loaded on my computer ready to watch on the 2 1/2 hour bus ride to Salzburg.

Ok well I should probably pay attention in class, I only have one week left!

Pancakes, Pancakes and More Pancakes.

If you haven't caught on to the theme of this weekend already, it is pancakes. Pancakes will never be the same to me. My mouth is watering just thinking about how delicious they were.

Thursday after class me and my roommate headed to my favorite unknown restaurant. I ordered the same thing as I always do and enjoyed it way too much, just like I always do.

 too perfect

After lunch me and five other girls hopped on a train to Munich, our first stop of our long journey to Amsterdam. In Munich we had a five hour layover (I don't know the proper terminology when it comes to trains, sorry). So we did what any sane person would do if they were stuck in Munich for five hours, drink beer! We made our way to the English Beer Garden. There I met up with my friend Robby, who also had a couple hours to spare before heading to London for the weekend, after I bought a radler first. An hour later we parted ways, he had a plane to catch and we were getting hungry. Not having any concrete plans for dinner we just started walking.

 About 40 minutes later of circling the streets of Munich we ended up at a generic restaurant right next to the beer garden. I mistakenly ordered fajitas. Poor move on my part I know. Once we finished we headed back to the beer garden where I got a much better meal! 

Just as we finished our liter beers we headed back to the train station. We made a quick bathroom, snack, and wine run then got on our over night train. We found our car, changed into our "pajamas", opened our wine bottles, stuck our heads out the window (seriously one of the best feelings ever, I highly recommend doing this next time you're on a train. Just watch out for poles and such.) and met up with other UNO Innsbruck students. We some how headed up in the bike storage car, mainly because it had the most space for us to hang out in. What do a bunch of college kids with alcohol and nothing to do, do? Play drinking games of course. So using LSU cards we played Kings Cup until we were kicked out. Basically that meant it was lights out for everyone. We climbed into our tiny little car that slept six and fell asleep. Don't worry Mom, all the wine was for a good reason! As soon as my head hit the pillow I was out! The next morning I woke up and was in the Amsterdam.

top bunk

From the train station we went straight to our hotel, The Marriott (totally beats all those hostels I have been staying in). We dropped of our bags then headed across the street for pancakes. Who knew Dutch pancakes would change my life?!

After my life changing experience we headed back to the hotel to shower and get ready for the day. Our first stop was the zoo. Best zoo I have ever been to by far! 

After the zoo we got a late lunch, it was about 4:30 in the afternoon at this point. I had the best goat cheese, grilled onion, and basil sandwich. Then we headed back to the apartment for a quick nap. Woke up, got dressed and headed out for dinner. We ended up at an Irish Pub that luckily had like 10 TVs so we could watch the opening ceremony of the Olympics. Did anyone else think it was really weird? For dinner I had a cherry beer, tasted like candy, and some Dutch mozzarella sticks. They served them with mustard... so good! That was also another life changing experience! 

Once dinner was over I met up with my freshman roommate Katy! She is studying abroad in Amsterdam for the summer on a UW program. It was sooo good seeing her! Even though it was pouring down rain when we saw each other we ran into a big hug! That night we just went from bar to bar in this square called Leidseplein. It was a lot of fun, a lot of young people which was nice. I ended the night with a delicious falafel pita. 

The next morning we woke up early to try to get into the Anna Frank house before all the tours. Somehow we had impeccable timing. It did not open until 9am, we showed up at 8:55am. There were about five people in line. At 9:00am herds of people started showing up. 10 minutes after than the line was down the block. It was a really good experience getting to go through her house and seeing their secret annex. 

Then we headed to a place called Pancakes!. We got there two minutes before they opened so we were one of the first ones seated. I got an apple and whipped cream pancake. ughhh I miss it so much! it was probably the best pancake I had all trip. Dad, you should started looking up how to make Dutch pancakes for Sunday morning breakfasts!

The area where the restaurant was in was really cute. It is called district 9, it has a bunch of cute little boutiques. So we decided to walk around and shop a bit.

hey Lou!

Then we headed over to the Heineken Brewery. But saw a starbucks on the way so we had to stop in. It was my first starbucks all trip!

The Heineken Experience was really cool! They do a really good job with the tour, definitely a must see. And you get free beer at the end!

After we got lunch at this really good place. I got a buffalo mozzarella sandwich and split fries.

Then we went to Mike's Bike Tours. If you are ever in Amsterdam this is a MUST. We went on a three hour country bike tour and was so great and worth the 19 euros. Our bike tour, Mike (??), was definitely interesting. SHE is definitely one-of-a-kind.

Yes, this is real life.

She took us to really cool places. Like windmills, a cheese factory, a clog factory, on really beautiful roads, and through nature reserves. I had no idea Holland countryside was so beautiful! 

 name of my bike

windmill

cheese

clogs

The house boats are a little different in Amsterdam

passed by a restaurant called Cafe Hans!

Once we got back to from our bike tour it was already kind of late. We had a long dinner at this really good mexican food place then called it a night. In the morning we woke up, checked out, and of course had our last pancakes. 

The eleven hour train ride wasn't too terrible. I slept for a good portion of it. We got bumped up to first class because some mother brought screaming babies on the quiet car so they asked if we could move to first class. Of course we said yes! When we got home we dropped of our stuff at Home4Students then went across the street to the local Pub for some wine and Manny's famous grilled cheese!

So that wraps up my weekend. I only have one weekend left now, which is too sad to think about, and I have no clue where to go! Cinque Terre? Florence? Interlaken? Zurich? So many options! This week should be pretty easy, and will most likely go by super fast! I do not want to leave. Innsbruck is the best place ever.

Well it is almost six at night here so I'm go to round up some friends and head out to dinner. The pub across the street is having 1 euro tequila shots tonight... this could be dangerous. 

Guten Abend